18. Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Dawson
I’m out of blue vomit bags. I repeat, I am out of blue vomit bags.
“Are you sure you’re ready to drive back down the mountain?” I ask Chloe, worried about her.
“I’ll be fine. Maybe keep the windows open, though.”
Her coloring looks better but isn’t completely normal. The evening is passing fast, though, and it’s almost time for me to get Finn from my parents’ house. So I’m trusting that she’s good to go.
“Tell me, do you get sick on planes too or just car rides?” We buckle into our seats to head to Porcupine Pub & Grille. Maybe if I ask her enough questions, she’ll be too distracted to puke again.
“Just through canyons. I’m fine flying and on the freeway. What about you? Do you suffer from any type of motion sickness?”
Pulling onto the road, I say, “I can’t handle spinning rides at amusement parks. ”
“So you won’t be my riding buddy on the Samurai at Lagoon?”
Hearing Lagoon, the name of the amusement park in Utah, I’m taken back to childhood when Mom would let me ride the bus with my friends to the park. We spent the entire day there, going on every ride and eating way too many churros. “How can you handle the Samurai? You’re twisting in two different directions.”
She shakes her head. “I actually can’t. I was testing your devotion.”
This woman. “I’m willing to do a lot for those I care about, but there’s nothing you can say that will sway me to get on that torture device.”
She smiles coyly at me. “Really, nothing?”
Her smile, while pretty, does nothing to deter me. “Absolutely nothing.”
“You know…I don’t have Frightmares at Lagoon listed as an option for the festival, but maybe we should look into pricing. Might be worth a field trip. What do you say?”
“Nah, I bet it’s way out of the budget. Let’s stick with what we have for right now. If they don’t work out, then we’ll consider other options. But not Lagoon.”
She chuckles. “You’re scared of me, aren’t you?”
From the moment I met her, nothing about Chloe has frightened me. Captivated me, sure, but nowhere near the spectrum of scary. “Not until this conversation.” Which is still an exaggeration. I’m sure if we ever go to Lagoon together, she’ll try to persuade me to ride every spinning ride there, but she’s half my width and a few inches shorter than me. I can take her, no problem .
“You should be scared.”
“I’m shaking in my boots,” I deadpan.
“Good. Stay that way. The adrenaline will keep you alert.”
I’m happy to see the drive down the canyon isn’t affecting Chloe like it did on the way up. The road takes all my concentration, but I catch glimpses of leaves changing colors. I can’t wait to come back when the mountains are glowing with vibrant hues. “Quick question.”
“Yeah?”
“Do your broom and cauldron come out October first, or do they stay out all year?”
“Excuse me?” Chloe says, acting offended. “Why do you assume I’m a witch?
I smile at her and shrug. “Because you’re threatening me and telling me I should be scared of you.”
“Well, Mr. Reed, why do you think I haven’t invited you to my place?”
I cock my head to the side. “Question. Do all witches eat children, or is that exclusive to movies?”
She smacks my shoulder with the back of her hand. “We’re not all barbarians.”
“So Finn’s safe with you?”
All teasing from her voice evaporates. “He is.”
“What about me?”
She lets out one short laugh. “Not at all.”
For so many reasons, I believe her.
I can’t tell if I’m thrilled or terrified. Maybe both?
We’re seated quickly at a wooden table by a wall of windows facing east. The view of the Wasatch mountains is stunning. Tennessee is beautiful, but growing up surrounded by mountains, it’s really hard living somewhere other than Utah.
“Everything looks amazing,” Chloe says, reading over the menu.
“I remember liking the fish tacos, but it’s been ages since I’ve eaten here.” I’m tempted to get the tacos again to see if they are as good as I remember, but I sort of want to try something new as well. “What are you getting?”
She glances up at me over the top of her menu. “I’m debating between the Ahi salad and the veggie stir-fry. What about you?”
“I can’t decide between the fish tacos and the tequila lime chicken. Have you had either of those before?”
She sets her menu down, leaning her elbows on the table. “This is my first time coming here.”
It’s at the bottom of the canyon. How hasn’t she been here before? “I’m shocked. How long have you been in Utah?”
She smiles. “My whole life.”
Is this one of those situations where a local doesn’t take advantage of the attractions in their own area? “Please tell me you ski.”
Her shoulders rise at the same time she winces. “Kind of? I went once with a boyfriend in high school. He went down the bunny hill with me twice, telling me how to do the pizza slice to slow down, then ditched me to go ski the bigger runs with his friends, even though it was my first time. Two hours later, he came back and convinced me I was ready to try the easiest trail with him.
“I went, but still hadn’t mastered stopping without falling to the ground. When we got to the bottom of the mountain, there were too many people for me to dodge, and I was going too fast. I slipped on an icy patch and landed on my back, my head smacking into the ice. I blacked out for a few minutes, and when I came to, I decided skiing wasn’t the sport for me.”
“Are you serious?” I ask, shocked someone would leave their girlfriend behind on her first ski trip to hang out with their friends. My protective instincts flare in my gut. “That’s incredibly rude and I hope you broke up with him right after that.”
She slowly shakes her head. “I did not.”
“What?” I’m flabbergasted. “Why not?”
She sighs, making her shoulders deflate in tandem with the air exiting her mouth. “First of all, we were teenagers. Are any of us great in relationships when we’re that young? No. I did stupid stuff too. Second, he made me laugh.”
I allow the defense of their age, but are her expectations of a partner so low? All he has to do is make her laugh? “I have no other response to that except, when winter comes, will you please let me teach you how to ski properly? You can learn alongside Finn.”
She folds her arms across her chest, her head tilting to the side. “You think I want to be shown up by an eight-year-old?”
I smirk. “The Chloe I know wouldn’t let a kid beat her.”
She scowls at me .
I’m right, and she knows it.
“Fine. I’ll let you teach me how to ski. But if you laugh or Finn does better than me, I don’t want to hear a word from you. Got it?”
I put my hand over my heart. “You have my word.”
The waitress comes to take our order. Chloe goes for the stir-fry and I stick with the tacos. “So far, all I know about you is how much you love football, you’re good at your job, and you’re competitive. Tell me what you like to do for fun.”
She slides the saltshaker between her palms. “Planning parties.” She smirks. “And I love curling up on my couch on Friday nights watching movies. I like massages and painted nails. Since I live in workout clothes, I enjoy moments when I get to dress nicer. I like hiking, hanging out with Kate, shopping, and finding recipes for healthy food that actually tastes good. And I love being with my family.”
“What kind of movies do you like?”
“Drama, romance, mystery, fantasy, and action movies. I’m not a fan of sci-fi, horror, or documentaries. If you’re a Lord of the Rings , Star Trek , or Star Wars fan, I’m not the person you want to watch movies with.”
She’s in luck then. I like those movies, but since I watched them a million times as a teen, they’re not my go-to anymore. “You said you don’t like horror, but what about Halloween movies? You don’t like any of those?” They’re perfect this time of year.
“Kid ones, sure, but Jason , Chucky , Saw , The Exorcist ,” she shivers like just saying the names creeps her out, “those are a hard pass.”
“Have you always disliked those types of shows? ”
She stops fidgeting with the saltshaker, shoving her hands under thighs. “When I was seven, my mom thought I was asleep, but I’d wet the bed and needed her help. She had a guy over, and both of them were drunk and high. They were watching some movie with a creepy guy in a mask chasing people through the woods with a chainsaw. I was terrified. Ever since then, anytime I see a poster or trailer for a scary movie, the same panic comes flooding back.
“Any sane person would have run back to their room when they saw something scary like that. I stood frozen, unable to breathe or move. When I finally scrounged up the courage to ask my mom for help, she yelled at me, telling me to get back to bed and leave the adults alone. I changed out of my wet pajamas by myself and climbed into Carter’s bed with him. He was really good about taking care of me when our mom had stopped bothering to be a mother.”
Man, her mom did a number on her and Carter. Things with Willow weren’t great, but at least when she decided to come home, she wasn’t intoxicated.
My limbs are heavier with each sentence Chloe speaks. For a second time in a matter of minutes, my protective instincts roar like a lion shielding its pride. “It’s not often I’m left speechless, but I have absolutely no idea what to say here, except I get why you don’t like those movies. I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch one again without thinking of you.”
She reaches across the table, placing her hand on top of mine. “I didn’t mean to ruin anything for you.”
I shake my head. “Chloe, it’s impossible for you to ruin anything. ”
She huffs out a laugh. “Really? ’Cause I’m pretty sure today’s outing didn’t go as planned.”
“Who says that just because it isn’t going the way you thought it would that it’s ruined? I’m not upset about introducing you to a new restaurant and getting you to agree to go skiing with us.”
She narrows her eyes at me, faking being annoyed. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you purposely planned on me getting sick.”
“That’s all on you, 007.”
She smiles at me, her eyes going soft like a loaf of pumpkin bread. My insides follow suit.
“I think it’s time you get a nickname, too.”
My brows rise. “And what name fits me?”
She taps her chin. “My brain is mush right now. I’ll come up with something. You’ll know it when I do.”
I grin. “I can’t wait.”
Chloe smiles playfully at me, her brows wiggling up and down.
Her smile is like basking in the glow of a campfire on a perfect fall night.